There are a handful of events locally every year that bring people from all over the county together, but perhaps none have the significance of Wise County’s Relay for Life.

This year’s Relay begins Friday night and goes until Saturday morning. For those who may be unfamiliar with the Relay concept, different teams continuously walk around the track, usually taking turns to make sure someone from the team is walking at all times, hence the “relay.” It’s a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, but it is also a chance to celebrate local cancer survivors and remember loved ones who have been lost to cancer.

If you want to get a lump in your throat, just watch the “survivors lap” or the lighting of the luminaries which glow in the night’s darkness.

It’s also great to see the creativity of the teams. Each have their own unique team name and theme – some serious and others not so much.

Fundraising takes place both before the event and at the event itself. We’ve featured a number of Relay fundraisers in Update and news briefs over the past couple of months.

The Decatur Fire Department is doing some rather unique fundraisers this year. The Relay team is hosting a raffle drawing for three chances to win a dinner for six at the fire department. Dinner will be prepared and served by firefighters on each shift – A, B and C. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20. The drawing will be held Friday night. Tickets may be purchased from members of the team or at the fire hall.

You can also sponsor a firefighter for a lap as they wear their full protective gear. This signifies the weight that a cancer patient and his or her family carry on their shoulders on a daily basis. There are three different levels of sponsorship, $100, $50 or $25. The higher the donation, the more equipment a firefighter will wear.

If you are participating in this weekend’s Wise County Relay for Life, or one of the financial supporters, thank you for joining the fight against cancer.

Anyone out there have any special Relay stories or memories they’d like to share?